OMG i FINALLY found a fix!!!!! i kept getting the "read-only file system" error with NO su installed/accessible. I couldnt find any forums or thread with a working solution. 98% of them recommended zergrushroot (and/or remount -rw), with about only half the users having successful roots. (if it's of any importance, i have the T679 model)

Anyways, I didn't have SU installed and the file system was write protected. since i couldn't get root privileges, i couldnt remount, chmod or install su, and since i couldnt install or chmod, i couldnt root (vicious circle!)

After trying 3120597 different zergrushroot versions and 335 other root methods, i decided to go back to the basics, with a little help from a few google searches. I figured the os itself was locking the filesystem, and must have some kind of hidden service preventing remount, or writing to system directories, especially since ADB wasnt even allowed to perform any root functions, even with the usb debug box checked, no screenlock/timeout, and the Samsung usb tether driver installed. that, or superuser wasnt even installed at all! therefore, i figured the only solution was to install it from outside the operating system, which was exactly what i did.

Solution:
i got busybox/su installer from HERE, then placed the zip on the root of my sd card in windows. then, i simply booted into clockwork/recovery (turn phone off, then hold volume button up, turn phone on while still holding the volume-up button) and installed the zip folder. (if you use the factory recovery mode instead of clockwork [or initially install clockwork with factory recovery] you will probably have to rename each .zip folder "update.zip") Voila! Fully rooted, and with busybox installed too!

*This fix does not risk getting viruses since you do not even need a pc, or only need it to download and transfer .zip's to the sd card on your phone. Also, zergrushroot and many other "root kits" (double entendre??) are marked as trojans by antiviruses, whether truly malware or not. both su- and busybox are known and trusted across the globe. the factory recovery mode is prebuilt into the phone, and the galaxy clockwork alternative is based on clockwork mod used on most rooted phones. the entire process takes less then 10 minutes on an experienced users first try.
also, btw im new. Hello AndroidForums members!

has anybody else tried this yet?
i reflashed my phone to COMPLETE factory settings, did this (and the other main method, zergrushroot), and once again the ZRR failed, while my method succeeded, again. I hope others have luck with this

OMG i FINALLY found a fix!!!!! i kept getting the "read-only file system" error with NO su installed/accessible.

After trying 3120597 different zergrushroot versions and 335 other root methods, i decided to go back to the basics.

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Click to expand...

merryjohn -

THANKS! Picked up a Samsung Galaxy Exhibit 4G (v. T679UVLG3) from WalMart last night (specifics - Android 2.3.6, kernel 2.6.35, Baseband vers. T679UVLG3, Gingerbread), spent this AM trying different root methods, and yours *worked*. Dead simple, too, and verified to "stick" after a reboot. Now I can start getting rid of all of the 't-Bloat' that litters the phone...

I would like to add a couple of tips where I had a stumble or two, since it was a little vague to me as related in the instructions on the xda-developers site. These things may well be self-evident to others, but when flashing Clockwork Mod:

Place the Clockwork Mod zip on the phone *internal* storage, not your removable SD card - it's easier to get to there.

When per the xda-dev site instructions you see the "open white box and droid" graphic (it's a picture/graphic of a box with a yellow/orange arrow coming out of the box, *not* a plain white square of a text box like I was expecting...) of Recovery mode, you press the *bottom left touchscreen button* to get the Recovery options menu, and...

Use the next button to the right of that one to Select the menu option you have highlighted.

The third button from left works as "Back"...

Once Clockwork Mod is working, there is an option in the menu to mount your external SD card, if that is where the Busybox zip file is located.

Those instructions call the Clockwork Mod file "cwm.galaxy.exhibit.zip", but as of this writing the actual file name to download and use is "cwm.6012.t679.zip".

I think from reading elsewhere that this particular phone model is essentially identical to and simply a re-branding of the Exhibit II, except that it has a newer kernel and OS installed which makes the other rooting methods like 'zerg' not work.

Renaming both files to "update.zip" worked for me finally, also putting the cwm.galaxy.exhibit.zip (I renamed to update.zip) on the phone internal storage not the SD, and then placing SU-Busybox-Installer.zip (I renamed to update.zip) on the SD.

Clockwork installed just fine. I'm able to boot into clockwork and find the card, mount the card, and stall Busybox. It says that the install is complete, but when I reboot the phone, the root checker is hanging up and not doing anything. Titanium backup is hung on "Asking for root rights..."

I am SO confused. I just bought my phone, and I am completely new to the Android operating system. Can someone please give me step-by-step instructions on how to root my phone? I have tried zergrush as well, and it will not write the files to the system. I have made sure I have all the right drivers for my phone on my computer as well.

Can someone give me instructions from the very beginning? Starting with what file to download, what folder to put it into, etc. For example, I see you guys mentioning stuff like put the clockwork mod zip file into the removable SD storage, or the internal storage, or whatever... what folder is that? I open up my computer and I see card and I see phone. In card, there are folders that say Android, DCIm, download, media, others, etc. In phone, there are folders that say Android, Lost.dir, DCIm, and usbStorage.

So I have no idea how to begin this and from what I understand, I need to get clockwork on first. So I download the file and drag and drop it into usbStorage. Then I didnt understand what to do, so I downloaded a file manager app for my phone and I tried opening some of the files in the clockwork zip file. This doesnt do anything. I am lost. What do I do? I just want to root my phone!

Please, if someone can give me step-by-step instructions from start to finish, that would be great!

@3happypenguins the first page in this topic is all you need, realy. Do not worry about any drivers; you said you saw the removeable disk in My Computer...that's where you put the clockworkmod and su-busybox .zip folders. Do not extract the .zips! put them on the root of your sdcard, that is, the drive its under (example, if your removeable storage is M:\, then you copy all the .zip folders to M:\)

you only need to download these two files to the root of your sdcard in windows:

so,
step 1: download the 2 files above, and save them to your phones "removeable disk" in Windows
step 2: rename the clockwordmod .zip you downloaded (cwm.6012.t679.zip) above to update.zip.
step 3: unplug your usb cable from the phone
step 4: remove the phone's battery to turn off phone. Then, put battery back in.
step 5: hold the phone's volume-up button, do not let it go!
step 6: turn phone on while still holding the volume-up button
step 7: you should see some kind of menu; I do not remember the exact layout or text, but somewhere you will see "install update" or "install update.zip. You can let go of the volume-up button.
step 8: Select the install update.zip or similar option (i think volume up and down changes the item, and the "home" button (house) is used to select)
step 9: once it finishes installing the update.zip, turn your phone off and back on, or simply, reboot.
step 10: repeat step 4-7. If clockword mod installed correctly (step 9), the new boot menu will be similar to the one you just used, but will have mod options. now select "install update from external sd card" or similar, and navigate to the "SU-Busybox-Installer.zip" file you downloaded.
Step 11: file installs. when complete, reboot again, and voila! you should be rooted!

Know, this process is only for the Exhibit II 4g; the process is different for every different phone!
I tried being as thorough as possible, but did so from the top of my head so I am sure I missed something. Read the other post in this thread; other members have found a few things out I didn't even know! ps thanks everybody for the input!

That was my problem. I would rename the clockworkmod file to update.zip save it to the phone's internal drive (not to any folder within it, nor would I put it on the SD card), boot up my phone into recovery mode, and it would automatically start doing something. But it would go through it so fast that I could not read it. Then I would attempt to boot it up in recovery mode again thinking that it would go into clockwork recovery, but it would just go into the regular recovery.

So what finally fixed it is that I just left the renaming alone. I left the original file name for both of them. I booted up into recovery mode, used the volume up and down button (which nobody told me... I had to Google that), and I chose the clockworkmod zip file. THEN it successfully installed. After it rebooted and I shut it down and did the same method to get it into recovery, it booted into clockworkmod recovery (it had a little top hat in the top of the screen), and I was able to choose the busybox zip file. Then it installed busy box. I rebooted the phone and VOILA, my phone was rooted!!!

First, thanks to the person who figured this out. I too am one of many who have tried rooting using the zerg rush method that does not work on the Samsung exhibit 4G. I'm looking forward to giving this a try.

My question is what do I do after it is rooted? The only reason I want to root the phone is to remove some of the pre loaded apps that suck up previous ram and storage. Personally I can't believe it is even legal for Samsung and Tmobile to load that software in such a way it cannot be uninstalled, but whatever i'll bet sooner or later they will face legal challenges for this, but for now its thanks to hackers there are ways around this.

So, once a phone is rooted, what happens next? Will it be totally raw like a PC that has been formatted and new operating system installed in which case all software and drivers need to be reinstalled? Or will the phone be just like it was before the root, including all apps and settings still intact or?

(Step 3-Boot into recovery)
Press and hold volume up button.
Press and hold power button.
Shortly after the plain white Samsung logo appears, release both buttons.
When you see the open white box and droid, press the menu button (left bottom button of the capacitive menu).

Note: I had to repeat step 3 multiple times. If the phone booted normal, I just pulled the battery and tried again. Timing is important. Hold both for about 2 seconds after the logo appears. If you hold it to long, phone reboots, hold it to short, phone boots normal, hold it just right and you are into recovery menu.

(Step 4-install CWM )
Press volume down button to highlight &#8220;Apply update&#8221;
Press the home button (2nd to left, looks like a house)

Wait for update to complete. Will be prompted to press home to reboot.
Press home.

(Step 5 – install SU-Busybox)
Follow step 3 again.
If done correctly, you should see the galaxy Exhibit cwm-based recovery Menu.
Press volume down button to select &#8220;Install zip from sdcard&#8221;
Press home to select.
Press home to select &#8220;Choose zip from external sdcard&#8221;
press volume down to SU-Busybox-Installer.zip
press home
press volume down to select yes.
Press home to apply.
Wait for completion (Will say Install from sdcard complete).
Press home to reboot.
Confirm Applications/Superuser.

Recommended Apps:

Titanium backup to &#8220;Freeze&#8221; the bloatware as well as backup the phone. I use it on my droid 4. I t is great.
AdFree to block advertizements.
FoxFi as a hotspot.
SpeedTest.net to benchmark connection speeds.